He said: “As you may be aware, your Excellency, the need to conduct this campaign arose because it was observed that the state had low level of birth registration.
Alhaji Hassan Bashir, Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission, Bauchi State, said on Thursday that the state had the least birth registration figure among states in the North-East region.
Bashir said this during the inauguration of Massive Birth Registration in Bauchi, Bauchi State.
He said: “As you may be aware, your Excellency, the need to conduct this campaign arose because it was observed that the state had low level of birth registration.
“The figure is the least in the North-East sub-region, standing at about 25 per cent of expected number.
“We had intervened in Adamawa and Kebbi and since then, the level of registration has boosted to about 70 per cent and we will do same in Bauchi State.”
Bashir also said accurate data generated from the intervention could be used for planning, such as provision of health, education and other social amenities.
Governor Mohammed Abubakar, who inaugurated the exercise, commended the European Union and the United Nations Children’s Educational Fund for their intervention.
Abubakar said the state government must key up to the campaign on massive birth registration to enable it catch up with other states.
He, therefore, directed the state Ministry of Health and other state agencies to key into the exercise, to enable the state realised its objectives.
The Governor called on traditional and religious leaders to support the exercise to enable it succeed.
Abdulai Kaikai, the Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Nigeria, Bauchi Field Office, had earlier said that the exercise would last for 10 days.
Kaikai said UNICEF had in 2014 trained 1,292 health workers in the state on birth registration.
He said that NPC in the state needed a lot of effort to register thousands of children that missed the exercise at their health facilities, especially at the rural areas.
(theeagleonline)
